This week, Eric Kohn, Sam Gregg, and Dan Hugger discuss the end of the Canadian trucker convoy as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invokes the Emergencies Act—the precursor of which was last used to respond to domestic terrorism—to clear the convoy from the capital. Boy, that escalated quickly. What will be the lasting effects of this protest, not to mention the way it ended? And how chilling are the threats to freeze bank accounts of protesters and supporters, even as donation data is leaked from the crowdfunding site that hosted a fundraiser for the convoy? Next, the Acton gang examines the recall of three members of the San Francisco school board by overwhelming margins. If a parent uprising against out-of-control public school systems can happen in San Francisco, can it happen anywhere? And finally, the guys remember the late, great writer and humorist P.J. O’Rourke, who passed away last week at the age of 74. Subscribe to our podcasts Business Matters 2022 — 50% off registration with promo code PODCASTBM22 Canada invokes unprecedented emergency measures — and triggers a political firestorm | Politico Trudeau vows to freeze anti-mandate protesters' bank accounts | BBC Names of Canada truck convoy donors leaked after reported hack | Reuters San Francisco Unified School District recall, California | Ballotpedia P. J. O'Rourke, 1947-2022 | Matt Labash P.J. O’Rourke was America’s greatest satirist and coolest conservative | John Podhoretz Why we need more O’Rourke Conservatives | Anthony Sacramone P.J. O’Rourke speaks at Acton’s 2013 Anniversary Dinner | Acton Vault Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Eric Kohn, Sam Gregg, and Dan Hugger are truckin’ to the Canadian truckers’ blockade of Ottawa and the Ambassador Bridge between Detroit and Windsor. Even if the truckers’ cause is just, are their tactics justifiable? And does it mean now that famously polite and compliant Canada has a populist uprising on its hands over overreaching COVID policy? Then they dissect The New York Times op-ed from three post-liberal conservatives on foreign policy hawkishness. Is the hesitancy to get into foreign entanglements all that novel an argument, or is it concealing something far more radical than mere retrenchment? And finally, the guys discuss Dan’s Detroit News op-ed on Joe Rogan and the problem of misinformation in the media. Subscribe to our podcasts Business Matters 2022 — 50% off registration with promo code PODCASTBM22 Canada Opens Blockaded Bridge, but in Ottawa, Truckers Won’t Budge | New York Times Hawks Are Standing in the Way of a New Republican Party | Sohrab Ahmari, Patrick Deneen, and Gladden Pappin, New York Times Public Choice Theory and the Illusion of Grand Strategy: How Generals, Weapons Manufacturers, and Foreign Governments Shape American Foreign Policy | Richard Hanania Joe Rogan is not a problem, but a mirror | Dan Hugger, Acton Institute Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

National Review ISI fellow Nate Hochman joins Eric Kohn, Sam Gregg, and Dan Hugger this week to discuss his recent reporting on the Ilya Shapiro controversy at Georgetown Law School. The student sit-in in the wake of Shapiro’s poorly worded tweets produced demands for cry rooms and reparations. Will they get what they want? Why do people in places of authority seem incapable of standing up to these outrage mobs? Then the group discusses the surprisingly good jobs report for January, where the economy added nearly 500,000 jobs—and all during the Omicron wave. If this is more evidence that the public is moving on from the pandemic, why do so many political leaders refuse to take the off-ramps they’re being offered and instead stand by mask mandates and other mitigation measures? And finally, should we have boycotted the Beijing Winter Olympics?Subscribe to our podcastsBusiness Matters 2022 — 50% off registration with promo code PODCASTBM22Acton Institute announces $300,000 Beijing Olympics broadcast ad campaign advocating for the release of Hong Kong democracy activist Jimmy Lai"The Hong Konger” 30-second Olympics adThe Hong Konger: Jimmy Lai’s Extraordinary Struggle for FreedomGeorgetown Law Students Stage Sit-In, Demand Dean Fire Ilya Shapiro | Nate Hochman, National ReviewIlya Shapiro Tweets about Biden Supreme Court Nominee | FIREHow Michigan’s Ballooning DEI Bureaucracy Stifled Speech and Divided the Campus | National ReviewCompanies unexpectedly cut 301,000 jobs in January as omicron slams labor market, ADP says | CNBCPayrolls show surprisingly powerful gain of 467,000 in January despite omicron surge | CNBCWhat message does NBC’s Olympics coverage send? | Isaac Willour, Acton Institute Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Eric Kohn, Sam Gregg, and Dan Hugger discuss the retirement of Stephen Breyer from the Supreme Court. Will he have an enduring legacy, or will he be largely forgotten? How should we evaluate his jurisprudence? He is often thought of as a moderate liberal but was frequently deferential to state power. Can we expect any fireworks from the confirmation hearing of his successor, or will it be a far duller affair compared to those of Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett? Then the Acton gang discuss what action the Federal Reserve is likely to take to combat inflation. How much of a shock to the economic system would an increase in interest rates be, and what’s the likely political fallout? Finally, they consider Eric’s recent Detroit News op-ed, arguing for COVID-19 risk assessment and decision making to be made on a personal and family level. How long can “COVID Zero” approaches endure? And how much longer will we continue masking kids in schools? Subscribe to our podcasts Business Matters 2022 — 50% off registration with promo code PODCASTBM22 Justice Stephen Breyer to retire from Supreme Court, paving way for Biden appointment | NBC News Justice Breyer’s Retirement May Not Be All Bad News for Conservatives | National Review Fed likely to hike rates in March as Powell vows sustained inflation fight | Reuters Fed seen as hiking interest rates seven times in 2022, or once at every meeting, BofA says | MarketWatch It’s time individuals, not the government, make choices about COVID-19 risk | Eric Kohn, Acton Institute Maryland county school CEO suggests students will be required to wear masks until 'COVID no longer exists’ | Fox News Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Eric Kohn, Sam Gregg, and Stephen Barrows discuss the “the big quit,” as more than 20 million Americans quit their jobs in the second half of 2021. With more than 10.5 million job openings right now, what does this pandemic-induced change in the labor market mean for workers and employers going forward? Next, they look at President Joe Biden’s speech in Atlanta, Ga., on voting rights, comparing anyone not in agreement with him to being on the side of George Wallace, Bull Connor, and Jefferson Davis. So much for turning down the temperature on political rhetoric. Finally, they examine the incident at Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in Colleyville, Texas. Why is it so hard for some to identify anti-Semitism as anti-Semitism? Subscribe to our podcasts The Great Resignation: Why more Americans are quitting their jobs than ever before | 60 Minutes Remarks by President Biden on Protecting the Right to Vote | The White House About That Speech … | The Dispatch Jewish leaders react to FBI statement on Texas synagogue hostage-taker: 'The FBI got it wrong’ | Fox News Why do some people hate the Jews? | Acton Line Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Eric Kohn, Sam Gregg, and Dan Hugger briefly discuss the first anniversary of the January 6 capitol riot. Have we learned anything helpful in the past year? Then they examine the waves being caused by teachers unions once again forcing public schools to close in major cities. Is this enough to stir a parent revolt to change the nature of public education as we know it? Next, they take a look at the newly announced policies of the Manhattan district attorney that would effectively eliminate jail time for an array of serious offenses. What damage will this light-on-crime approach do to meaningful and serious criminal justice reform? And finally, they review the conviction of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes on four federal counts of defrauding investors. What, if anything, does this have to say about market capitalism or Silicon Valley? Subscribe to our podcasts The Chicago Teachers Union’s Priorities | Wall Street Journal Manhattan DA to stop seeking prison sentences in slew of criminal cases | New York Post Justice Reformers Need to Update Their Priors | The Atlantic Elizabeth Holmes is the con artist we were all waiting for | Acton Institute The Dropout Podcast | ABC News Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Eric Kohn, Sam Gregg, and Dan Hugger discuss the progress of the House Select Committee on the events of January 6. Has everyone already formed their conclusions about what happened? Is there anything that could be revealed that would change anyone’s mind? Is there any civic good that could come from this? The Omicron variant appears to be more transmissible but less deadly. That’s a good development. So why is it prompting renewed talk of school shutdowns, greater lockdowns, and mask mandates that extend forever? Are we perpetually searching for a technocratic solution to a problem that has no actual solution? And finally, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has proposed the Stop the Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees (W.O.K.E.) Act to extricate wokeness from schools and businesses. Is this a problem that we can legislate away? Subscribe to our podcasts The Fifth Column Podcast with Rep. Peter Meijer (R-Mich.) Fox News hosts urged Meadows to have Trump stop Jan. 6 violence, texts show | Washington Post Remarks by President Biden After Meeting with Members of the COVID-⁠19 Response Team | White House Fauci says masks on planes will always be necessary no matter what: 'Go that extra step’ | Fox Business Schools, classrooms close doors again in latest Covid surge | NBC News Governor DeSantis Announces Legislative Proposal to Stop W.O.K.E. Activism and Critical Race Theory in Schools and Corporations | State of Florida D.C. third-graders were made to reenact episodes from the Holocaust | Washington Post Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Samuel Gregg, Stephen Barrows, and Michael Matheson Miller discuss two topics. The first is the ongoing rise of inflation in the United States. Whatever happened to “transitory inflation”? Who benefits and who doesn’t from inflation? What needs to be done to bring inflation under control? Then this week’s all-Catholic team weighs in on a broader topic: the state of the Catholic Church around the world today. Much of the Church seems to be in disarray, whether it’s the resignations of bishops, the state of the Church in Germany, the Synod on Synodality, disputes about Holy Communion and liturgy, or the Vatican’s deal with the Communist regime in Beijing. We discuss some of the underlying causes, but also where we can find signs of hope. Subscribe to our podcasts How do you feel about inflation? The answer will help determine its longevity | Wall St Journal El-Erian says ‘transitory’ was the ‘worst inflation call in the history’ of the Fed | CNBC Inflation: Prices on the Rise | IMF Inflation surged 6.8% in November, even more than expected, to fastest rate since 1982 | CNBC Ratzinger’s Cross | Public Discourse The Vatican Would Profit from the Views of This Jesuit | Alejandro Chafuen, Forbes After Two Decades, Abuse Crisis Has Humbled the Catholic Church | The Wall Street Journal China’s Catholic Leviathan: Jesuits and the Sino-Vatican Agreement | Catholic World Report Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Eric Kohn, Sam Gregg, and Dan Hugger discuss the implications of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the case involving Mississippi’s ban on abortion after 15 weeks, which was argued before the Supreme Court on Dec. 1. How much has the legal regime created by Roe and Casey distorted our civic and political life? And what would be likely to happen if the Supreme Court did overturn the Roe and Casey decisions in their Dobbs ruling? Would it be as incendiary as some people seem to assume? Then the guys discuss the primary theme of Blake Masters’ campaign for Senate: “In America, you should be able to raise a family on one single income.” Is it true that people can’t do that right now? Do the proponents of this vision ignore the costs associated with it? And are GDP growth and family formation really at odds?Subscribe to our podcasts Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization | SCOTUSblog Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Oral Arguments Exit poll results from the 2021 election for Virginia governor | Washington Post The Blake Masters Vision | National Review Why Parents Staying Home to Raise Their Kids Is a Good Thing | National Review Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Eric Kohn, Stephen Barrows, and Dan Hugger discuss the emergence of the new Omicron variant of COVID-19. With so little known about it, are political leaders and public health officials getting too far ahead of themselves? Dr. Anthony Fauci says he “represent[s] science.” When did we come to have such a malformed understanding of the scientific process that we moved into an ideological understanding of science? And how unsurprised should we be that the World Health Organization skipped over the “Xi” variant name? Finally, they discuss Yuval Levin's recent essay "The changing face of social breakdown.” What's holding people back from starting their lives? Has the pandemic made these problems worse or just revealed trends already at work? And how can we learn to better deal with our changing world to establish more communion, not just communication? Subscribe to Acton Unwind, Acton Line & Acton Vault  Omicron Rises, but Our Fears Should Not | National Review Fauci: Republican detractors are "criticizing science” | Axios In Naming Omicron Variant, Authorities Skipped ‘Xi’ and ‘Nu’ | Wall Street Journal A ‘Simpsons’ Episode Lampooned Chinese Censorship. In Hong Kong, It Vanished. | New York Times The changing face of social breakdown | The Dispatch For first time, India’s fertility rate below replacement level | Times of India Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali | B. K. S. Iyengar National Economic Planning: What Is Left?| Don Lavoie The Use of Knowledge in Society | Friedrich A. Hayek Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.